The 70s Dining Room Table Gets A Makeover

This is the table of my childhood. It's a French Provincial Dining table with matching hutch that my mother lovingly polished and then gifted to me.

Mom forced convinced me to take it. I really didn't want it. I'm being honest here. And I know you think I'm a brat. Well, maybe I was. I couldn't see its potential beauty.

Also, that was the table where I usually got in trouble for not eating everything on my plate. So, my little sis talked me down off the ledge and said, "Paint it."

Well, okay. But it was laminate, and I knew my mother might kill me for "ruining" her furniture. She is not a fan of chalk paint.

So, I didn't tell Mom my plan for her dining room table. Problem solved.

I'll go through all the steps it took to get to the beauty that it is. I'm not saying that you'll need to do all the same, because honestly I was making it up as I went. If I did it today, I'd probably do it a different way, but who knows if it would turn out to be as wonderful as it is?

I knew I wanted a layered look for the table top. I wanted depth. I wanted intricate colors. I wanted rich shine.

STEPS:

1. Clean and then paint a coat of primer.
2. Paint a coat of orange chalk paint for a base color with a chip brush. (It was an inexpensive chalk paint brand, and I have no idea where I read to do this in orange. This is the stage where I wanted to cry, because it was bad. Bad ugly. Maybe you can skip this one. And skip the crying.)
3. Light sanding with a sanding block or paper. Remove dust with a tack cloth.
4. Next, I brushed on a walnut stain to cover the table top. It's a coat that isn't even or full coverage.
5. Light sanding with a sanding block or paper. Remove dust with a tack cloth.
6. For the fourth step, I did a Annie Sloan chalk paint in a color called Graphite for the next coat. I used my trusted Annie Sloan chalk paint brush that I've had for years. Here's a similar high quality brush. You'll notice my brush strokes are in long sweeps across the length of the table with thin coats. I still wanted to be able to see the other coats.
7. I took a damp, lint-free cloth (a piece of old t-shirt) and wiped off some of the paint. Again, I did this with a light hand and in long strokes.
8. The last step was three coats of polyurethane varnish with a brush. We'll be eating on this table and the Annie Sloan chalk paint requires a top coat for that kind of use.
9. Light sanding with a sanding block or paper between coats. Remove dust with a tack cloth each time.
10. Stand back and sigh with relief that you made it to the end.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I love my dining room table. Thanks, Mom!

Time: Several days between drying coats and a couple of hours each day.

Cost: I estimate I spent $100+ on paint and varnish.

Skill level: Difficult due to Effort and Patience.